MA student duped of ₹7,800 online while booking dharamshala in Palitana

A 22-year-old woman was allegedly duped of ₹7,800 while trying to book a room at a dharamshala in Palitana through a fraudulent website and mobile number.

As per the FIR lodged at Anandnagar police station, the complainant, Surbhi Shangvi, who resides at Shaligram-2, Anandnagar, Ahmedabad, is a second-year MA student at Indira Gandhi National Open University. On February 7, between 10am and 3.45pm, her brother Riddhesh Sanghvi searched online for accommodation at Palitana. He came across a page titled 'Suntarbhavan Palitana' and contacted the listed number.

The individual on the other end claimed to represent Suntar Bhavan booking services and quoted ₹7,800 for a three-day stay. Upon agreeing to the booking, a QR code linked to a Kotak Mahindra Bank account was shared for payment.

Surbhi made the payment through Google Pay from her Kotak Mahindra Bank account. However, after transferring the money, they were unable to obtain a receipt. The person handling the mobile number falsely claimed that the payment had not been received. Further inquiries revealed that the website and mobile number were fake, leading the complainant to realise that she had been cheated.

Following the discovery, a complaint was immediately filed with the cybercrime unit, and later a case was lodged at Anandnagar police station under relevant sections of the BNS and cybercrime laws, and an investigation is on.